The Ultimate Roller Coaster Quiz

Few thrills in life rival the sheer adrenaline rush of a roller coaster ride. But since you're surfing the Internet at the moment, you're going to have to make do with the ultimate roller coaster quiz instead. It won't be quite as exciting, but at least you don't have to worry about your wallet flying out halfway through. So get comfortable, raise your arms over your head and let's see if you can make it through without feeling queasy.

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Question 1 of 10

Roller coasters are driven almost entirely by three basic forces. Which of the following is not one of them?

air resistance force

Roller coasters rely almost entirely on basic inertial, gravitational and centripetal forces, all manipulated in the service of a great ride.

gravitational force

centripetal force

Question 2 of 10

Roller coasters have come a long way just in the last 20 years, but when was the first full-fledged roller coaster built?

the 1700s

the 1800s

While the basic concept dates back to the Russian ice slides of the 1700s, the first roller coaster in which the train was attached to the track dates back to 1817 and the French coaster Russes a Belleville (Russian Mountains of Belleville).

the 1900s

Question 3 of 10

What was the first U.S. roller coaster?

Leap the Dips

The Zippin Pippin

The Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway

The first American roller coaster was the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway, built in the mountains of Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s. Leap the Dips and the Zippin Pippin didn't come along until the 1900s.

Question 4 of 10

While many roller coasters use a chain lift to get the train to the top of the lift hill, others use a catapult launch lift. Which of the following isn’t used to power the catapult?

electromagnets

steam

While steam may help launch fighter jets off the decks of aircraft carriers, roller coasters aren't quite ready to go all Top Gun just yet. You'll typically find catapult launch lifts powered by rapidly spinning wheels or electromagnetic fields.

rotating wheels

Question 5 of 10

Roller coasters allow us to soar screaming through space normally reserved for birds. As such, collisions are inevitable -- and sometimes hilarious. Which of the following celebrity hunks took a goose to the face aboard Busch Gardens’ “Apollo's Chariot" in March 1999?

Richard Gere

Patrick Swayze

Fabio

There’s just something about Fabio’s square-jawed, lion-haired, wax-chested machismo. The ladies can’t resist him and neither can Virginia waterfowl. The bloody Italian model was taken to a local hospital following the incident, where he was treated for minor cuts.

Question 6 of 10

Which type of roller coaster design positions two seats from each car on either side of the track and allows them to spin or rotate on their own axis?

fourth dimension

If your roller coaster ride involves this much movement, you're probably on a fourth-dimension coaster which, despite its name, does not actually travel in time -- at least no more than usual.

flying

wonkavator

Question 7 of 10

While the thrill of impending death aboard a roller coaster is par for the course, actual death tends to take all the fun out of it. According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, how many fatalities occurred on fixed-site amusement park rides during 2008?

222

322

422

There were 422 fixed-site amusement park ride fatalities in 2008. To put that in perspective, that's out of an estimated 291.2 million attendance. The estimated fixed-site amusement park ride injuries for 2008 were 1,523.

Question 8 of 10

Let's say you wanted to ride the steepest steel roller coaster in the world. Which coaster would you get in line for?

the Mumbo Jumbo in the U.K.'s Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo

Book a flight for Malton in the United Kingdom, because the Mumbo Jumbo is recognized by the book of Guinness World Records as the steepest steel roller coaster in the world. As of 2009, it boasted a terrifying 112-degree descent angle, compared to the 97-degree angle that the Vild-Svinet and Typhoon coasters each have.

the Vild-Svinet in Denmark's BonBon-Land

the Typhoon in Belgium's Bobbejaanland Family Park

Question 9 of 10

You love standing on top of skyscrapers, right? And you love roller coasters, too, don't you? Just where in the world might you find your dream coaster?